It was a meteorologist, calling to tell Creighton, head of emergency operations for Wake County, that a storm was coming. And it wasn't a typical springtime shower.

"He said, 'This has an Oklahoma-type signature, and it's coming your way,' " Creighton said Monday, recalling the conversation that took place hours before Saturday's major storm system battered much of the eastern part of the state.

Two days later, North Carolina played a grim numbers game Monday.

The vicious system that killed at least 22 people and injured at least 130 in the state also damaged or destroyed at least 800 homes and left thousands facing the possibility of another night in the dark.

In Bertie County, officials estimated property damage at $2.5 million, not including infrastructure damage and the loss of cropland.